Sen. William Proxmire Opposes the Military-Industrial Complex

U.S. Senator William Proxmire Reports to You from Washington: selected issues, 1976-1985.

William Proxmire (1915- ) succeeded Joseph McCarthy as senator from Wisconsin in 1957 and served in that capacity until 1989. A maverick Democrat who followed his conscience more closely than any party line, Proxmire served in powerful positions on the Senate's Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, where he made a reputation criticizing excessive federal spending on defense and other government programs. In these newsletters sent to his constituents, he explains why he opposed defense projects such as the B-1 bomber and the "Star Wars" strategic defense initiative. He also describes his monthly "Golden Fleece" awards given to programs that he felt spent the taxpayers' money unwisely, and how he discovered and selected them for exposure.